COIMBATORE: The forest department has intensified efforts to capture a tiger that mauled a tribal man to death near Shooting Mattam in the Nilgiris.
The 57-year-old tribal farmer from the Toda community was found dead in a forest patch near Chinnagadamund tribal settlement on 24 February. Villagers discovered the partially consumed body and alerted officials of the forest department.
The forest department has placed cages in strategic locations to trap the carnivore, enhanced surveillance using camera traps, and deployed a thermal drone to monitor its movement. Villagers residing along forest fringes have been advised not to venture out after dark.
As a precaution, the forest department has also closed eco-tourism destinations such as Shooting Mattam and the Pine Forest area to visitors.
In another incident, a six-year-old male tiger was found dead in an open well inside the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve (MTR).
Frontline staff on routine patrol discovered the carcass in a well in the Nilakottai Forest Range on February 24 at around 1 p.m. Senior officials from the reserve rushed to the spot and conducted a preliminary inspection.
A post-mortem examination was conducted on Wednesday by a veterinary assistant surgeon from MTR in the presence of forest officials, representatives of the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB), Coimbatore, NGO members, and local public representatives.
The autopsy was conducted in accordance with protocols laid down by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA). Viscera and other samples were collected for forensic analysis, and the carcass was later incinerated as per standard procedure.
Preliminary findings suggest that the tiger may have been involved in a territorial fight with another male before falling into the open well. Officials suspect that the animal was unable to climb out and died subsequently. The exact cause of death will be confirmed after forensic results are received, said an official.